Freedom of speech is taken as a given in the United States. The ability to speak ones mind and truth is taken for granted. While talking to our Chinese ambassadors I recognized that this truly is not a luxury afforded to them. As we take away freedom of expression and speech we take away freedom of thought. Like in 1984, to even question the state is to be against it. When asking if there are people in China who believe that Tibet and Taiwan are separate from the People’s Republic, we are met with the response that the only people who think that are terrorists. It is this black and white mentality that promotes the state and keeps those in power who wish to be. Further, it also prevents intellectual dialogue surrounding the topics of state sovereignty. Moreover, if that is the definition of a terrorist, then I proudly am one.

The first goodbye was a difficult one. Waving to our Chinese hosts and friends was heartbreaking. My closest friend from China, Ennis, could only blow us a kiss and look away, hiding the tears streaming down his face. At the airport, it soon became time to wish our friends from U of I off. As I hugged them I remembered the circumstances that brought us together. As fellows of the Wanxiang program we came to learn and do as much as we could and that we did. Thus it was time for us to bid each other adieu and while I believed myself ready, I was not. The tears were streaming down my face without the consent of my mind but with the need of my heart. Never again will this group of people be together, never again will one step into the same stream twice. This fact, however, does not keep me from wishing that the stream come together once more. I am horrible at goodbyes, often preferring them of the Irish variety. So for now, I will wallow in my palpable denial and pretend that when I arrive in China next, everyone I left will be waiting there for me.

Upon arrival in Shanghai, the best surprise was waiting for me. After almost six weeks of being away from everything and everyone I know, I was met by some of the nicest people in the world. They also, happen to be, my family. They picked me up from the bus and had a fantastic day planned for me. Upon arrival I was immediately whisked away for a much needed Starbucks. We then perused shops and drank fresh watermelon (it was delicious). After dinner at a Chinese/Japanese fusion restaurant we spent the evening on a boat tour. The cruise took us through Shanghai and provided us with a fantastic view of the city at night, even though it was a little windy and rainy, we still had a beautiful time. It was within those few hours that I really caught a glimpse at what life could be like for me in China. I recognized how blessed I am to not only be in a culture and place so different than my own, but also blessed to share the ties of family with people who are so different and yet so similar to myself.

One of the lectures addressed the history of China-US relations. It got me thinking about differences between our cultures, and how that shapes the relationship dynamics between the two countries. The most obvious difference upon arriving is the racial homogeneity of China compared to the US. I had heard about the 40-some minority racial groups in China, but I think that number is very misleading. In practice, 90+% of the people you would meet in major cities belong to the Han Chinese racial group. Aside from that, I think the most significant difference may be political culture. The US is ostensibly based on a bottom-up democratic approach. China, by contrast, follows a top-down approach. In America, great pains are taken around the value of individual autonomy. Those values are nowhere near as widespread in China. I discussed this issue with a friend, and she brought up the point that our freedoms are not as complete as we like to think in America – the Patriot Act is a good example. Add in our massive wealth gap and the fact that money can do much more to influence political action than a person’s vote ever will; when viewed this way, it begins to seem like the American image of freedom and democracy is little more than an illusion conjured by a clever and rich ruling class. Perhaps we are not so different from the Chinese, and they just avoid beating around the bush and hiding their top-down political processes. Political culture is a complicated issue, and after experiencing China firsthand, I am sure I will leave with more questions than I came in with.

Among the most jarring cultural differences between the US and China for me has been the frequency of smoking. It feels like there is a smoker around every corner in Beijing and Hangzhou. Secondhand smoke permeates most public places, to the point that my clothes would smell like smoke many nights despite never smoking myself. I saw several no smoking signs at our hotel and around the Wanxiang campus, but that didn’t stop students and workers in the slightest. Multiple times, on my way to and from class, I would see campus cleaning staff smoking together directly under a no smoking sign. It was quite common to see people smoking near a little children’s playhouse outside our hotel as well, which was not especially reassuring. Taking pollution readings was made slightly more difficult when I had to find a place that someone had not smoked in recently. After seeing the prevalence of cigarettes in China, I am glad to know they are seeing a decline in popularity in the US.

Back in Hangzhou we were able to celebrate the birthday of one of the Wanxiang student ambassadors who I had grown close with, whose English name is Alex! Alex is the youngest ambassador, yet is also the tallest. He loves basketball and enjoys watching American basketball in his free time. According to Alex, American basketball is better because “they can actually dunk!” In any case, we gathered a mixed group of U of I students and Chinese ambassadors to celebrate Alex’s 20th birthday. I was surprised to see that two cakes were prepared for the occasion instead of just the one cake like I would expect to see in America. I didn’t question it, but internally I was curious. My best guess was that it might have something to do with the fact that he was turning 20, like giving him one cake for each decade or something to that effect. Imagine my surprise when just moments later, the smaller cake was launched into Alex’s face by one of the Chinese students! Quite suddenly, the mystery of the second cake was solved.

Our last full day in Shanghai was amazing and I feel so lucky to have had this experience. We toured around the city and were able to take an elevator up to the second round ball of the Pearl tower. The view was unbelievable and there was an even an entire floor made out of glass so that we could see the ground beneath us. Kind of like the sky deck in the Sears Tower in Chicago except much bigger and better. We traveled up 263 meters of the 467 meter high structure. Following that were a couple tours around the area and of course shopping. I luckily did all my shopping earlier that week so I was able to just relax and sight-see. The area was beautiful but very crowded. Shanghai is a lot more populous that Hangzhou. The city has around 25 million people living there! We ended our day with an acrobat show that was exciting to see. My favorite part of the entire performances was the end where eight motorcyclists rode inside of a large metal ball. It was exhilarating and dangerous. The long day was tiring so I went to bed soon after arriving back at the hotel. This morning we woke up, packed our things into the bus and headed for the airport. As I type this now, I am sitting at our terminal waiting to board the plane. I’ll miss you China but I sure am excited to be back home again.

On our last day at the Wanxiang University, we spent our
time together in classes during the day and celebrating at night. In the
afternoon we gathered around to plant a tree from all three universities of
Illinois. It was definitely a moment that represented togetherness as we all
took turns shoveling dirt onto the roots. Later than night our closing ceremony
was filled with laughter and tears. We all sat at round tables in a banquet
hall, on the second floor of our hotel. One of the Chinese student ambassadors,
Mumu put together a video clip of our time here at Wanxiang University. The
video was so sweet and made me tear up at the memories I have made here. We
played a few games and put on performances for the students. In our Chinese language
class we were taught a song that we sang in front of everyone for the closing
ceremony. I will truly miss all the friend I’ve made at the University and hope
to keep in touch with them after I return to the states.

Hey everyone! Currently I am waiting at my gate in the Shanghai airport for my plane to Montreal! From there we have a short layover and then fly to Chicago (and then another approx. 4-5 hour car drive to my actual house…).

Shanghai has been lovely, with my favorite part being an acrobatics show we saw last night. And my favorite part of that, of course, was watching multiple people on motorcycles ride around in a giant metal death sphere. Not really your conventional acrobatics, but I enjoyed it the most of all!

This morning’s planned museum visit was a bust. By the time we had made it through the massive line to even enter the museum we pretty much would have had to leave to head to the airport. That was OK with me, though, because while we were standing in line the small boy behind me kept sneezing at full speed right on my backside…

These past nearly two months now in Asia have been incredible; I have learned so much and I would never trade this experience for the world! I am however VERY excited to be back home and see my family, friends, and dog again (and also the new refrigerator that my parents FINALLY got installed!) Courtney, if you are reading this, tell the kiddos that I got them all presents and I want to see them ASAP!

Love from Shanghai! I hope to see everyone who has been so supportive of me all summer very soon! <3

Seeee-eeee-eee-ee. Was that a gas leak I heard? I sprung out of bed this morning and aligned my ears like that of a dog. Where could that incessant spew of sound be coming from? While the hotel in Shanghai is pleasant, it does have some of its flaws. Drywall damage and the such underneath the windows. Perhaps that could be the culprit, after all the sound is coming from that direction. As I groggily approached the window, the sound stopped. That’s strange. I began to hear loud semi-truck engines rev in the distance. Maybe the window is poorly insulated? Perplexed by the situation, I looked for any cracks and felt for drafts around each window corner. Tightly sealed. Perhaps it was my half-baked brain playing tricks on me this morning, however, I was certain I heard a constant spew of, “Seeee-eeee-eee-ee.” With my assessment over, I figured it would be best to catch some more sleep. I returned to bed and closed my eyes. Seeee... It’s that sound again! I jumped towards the window and immediately noticed swallows soaring through the air like miniature stealth bombers. They were dive-bombing in between the trees and with my knowledge of swallows I realized they were enjoying a smorgasbord of bugs this morning. That’s when it dawned on me – bugs! I was hearing cicadas. The sound of cicadas in Shanghai is impressively deafening. It drowns out the sounds of semi-truck engines! My concern of a gas leak quickly transitioned to joy this morning as I was able to witness the beauty of nature within the confines of one of the world’s largest cities.

Perched outside the hotel this morning, I felt my first cool breeze of wind during the entire trip. For those not in Hangzhou, you have no idea how refreshing it felt for me to have a tingling gust circulate between my arm hairs and face. The heat island effect has baked me daily. The humidity has made me sticky. But today I relished in the moment. I closed my eyes and let the wind serenade my body and senses. For a moment, I thought I heard the chirping of chickadees. Maybe they’re beckoning for my return? The breeze dulls down, I open my eyes and it’s nothing but the sound of a city. Car horns. Construction. People. Needless to say, I think I might be homesick. Today we leave for Shanghai. Sunday we leave for home. I hope the songs of black-capped birds greet me upon my return stateside. Chicka-dee-dee-dee.

Today began bright and early at 7:50am sharp. Our group loaded onto the
bus to take another trip to the Wanxiang Precision Industry to take a look at
how they manufacture Lithium Ion Phosphate cell battery systems. I was very
happy to be in a lab again, it’s been a couple months. When we were being
introduced to the production of the coin cell, they asked if any students would
like to try making one on their own. I instantly volunteered as I was excited
to do some lab work and learn something new. The assembling process took place
inside of a glass box with gloves attached to it (called a glove box). After
slipping my arms into the gloves, I was able to assemble the coin cell battery
inside. It was a little confusing as I was the first one to go, but it felt
natural touching a pipette again. We were able to keep the coin cells we made,
I can’t wait to test it out once I get home and see if it works. Later in the
afternoon we toured more of the electrode workshop and the entire manufacturing
process. It was very interesting and I felt I learned a lot today. We were
running a little behind schedule so the day felt extra-long and I’m excited to
relax in my room. We only have a couple more days left here at the Wanxiang
campus and then we head to Shanghai!

Today we visited some of the A123 (a subsidiary of the Wanxiang group) facilities that manufacture lithium iron batteries. The batteries are typically used for hybrid and electric cars, but can also be used for… well, anything that might need a cell battery. We even got to see some prototype batteries for use in BMWs being made!

Prior to this visit I did have limited, basic knowledge of how a battery works. Put together an an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte, the electrons freak out looking for personal space (much like I am craving now right now), and bang, you have a charge, time to party! (I am sure I am oversimplifying this process and missing some steps, but you get my point) After today’s tours however, I have a much more intimate knowledge not only of the mechanisms through which these specific battery cells work, but also of how they are created.

I learned that the cathodes contain cobalt! Which explains (one reason) why cars containing these kinds of batteries are so much more expensive than their traditional, combustion engine-only counterparts! I do not know exactly how expensive cobalt is, (actually, that’s a lie, a quick google search, courtesy of NordVPN, tells me that a pound of cobalt will run you $12.47USD as of July 12, 2019 SOURCE:http://www.infomine.com/investment/metal-prices/cobalt/1-week/ ) but I know it is notoriously pricey due to what I am guessing is its extremely high demand. So, what this means, and a fun fact: cathodes are the most expensive component of these lithium iron batteries.

With all of the extra knowledge I have learned today about batteries and their manufacturing process, I am hoping to win some arguments over the dinner table with my electrical engineer genius of a brother.

Every summer since I was 9, I spent at least a week in the Shawnee National Forest. At the age of 16, I started spending at least half of a summer there. Thus, I am no stranger to mosquitos. I spend most summers raking my legs with whatever I can find, the edge of an I-card, so I have found, works well.

After I applied to spend a summer in a Chinese city, I assumed that I would have a summer free of mosquito bites. I cannot believe that I was so naïve. The mosquitos in Hangzhou are feverish devils that can smell me from a mile away. Sitting outside at night proves difficult and walking to the wetland, a nightmare. They have even infiltrated my fortress, having unwelcome overnight stays in my hotel room. They bite whatever poor part of my body I have left exposed. This has even led to my eyelid falling victim to their parasitic scheme.

I am unsure if I will ever experience a summer with fewer than 50 bites, but Ill be damned if I don’t try.

On my way home from the spa on Sunday, I looked out from the
taxi window and noticed the large full moon above. To my surprise, there were a
couple stars that were visible in the sky! This is a rare occurrence in China
due to the heavy light pollution. I half expected this because when I had woken
up that morning, I noticed the sky was the clearest it had been since I arrived
a few weeks ago. The sun was shining bright in the blue sky with just a few
clouds, visible. It reminded me of the sky at home! Sadly, today was the usual
cloudiness. Every day is usually the same so it is rather noticeable when the
sky is clearer out. As we drove to the Wanxiang Precision Industry, I gazed out
the window and noticed the smoggy film blocking my view to what would be
mountains in the distance. I wonder what this view would have looked like if I
took the same route on Sunday, when the skies were clear.

I went exploring this weekend, some of it was on my own and
some with a couple of friends. On Saturday, I visited the mall with a couple of
friends and we went our separate ways to do some shopping. I noticed that as I
went into some of the higher end stores, the employees seemed to follow close
behind and bother with their sales pitch. I felt a pat on my back and turned
around to see a store worker holding a nice blouse in her hand. She was
motioning me to admire it and potentially purchase the item. I felt
uncomfortable as I did not want to buy it and felt the heat of her presence
while I was trying to view other items. I decided it was best to avoid the
small boutiques and head right into the other larger stores, where the
employees did not seem to care whether you bought something or not. Near the
center of the mall I saw a large runway surrounded by curtains, music, and
stuffed animals. It was a fashion show with models dressed in traditional looking
Chinese dresses. Their makeup and hair looked lovely although the models
backstage seemed to be taking naps when they could. The show went on all day
with small breaks in-between. After our day of shopping we found a pizza hut
and I was definitely pleased to be eating pizza again.

On Sunday, I walked through the Xixi wetlands once again with my pal Caleb. During our walk we noticed a young man in straw hat riding a dirty, old bike. As the young man grew closer, we noticed it was our UIS companion Lee! He had found an abandoned bike somewhere on the path and took it for a spin. It was pretty hilarious to randomly run into him. The three of us made our way to the area of shopping centers within the Xixi wetland park. We eventually separated to venture out on our own path and sight see. I met up with Caleb, inside of the mall and we made our way over to the visitor center where we stumbled upon an adorable stray cat. The cat nearly bit my dress but was rather affectionate and vocal. We eventually said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel. Later that night, I went off by myself to a spa about 20 minutes away that my friend recommended. I have never in my life been to a spa so I figured, why not try one out in China? The smell of incense hit my nose as I entered the building. I was greeted by smiling faces and taken into a small room. There, I was presented with tea and watermelon and was instructed to shower before calling for my masseuse. The massage was 90 minutes long and I felt the most relaxed I’ve ever felt. I’m pretty sure I dozed off a couple times. I’m happy to say that my first spa experience was in China!

Why pick up the heaps of litter? A foot of concrete will most likely cover it anyways. Out of sight, out of mind. Right? That is the observation I seem to be gathering at least as I tour the city of Hangzhou. The city is currently undergoing immaculate development. Older buildings are being razed and bigger ones are being built in replacement. It is impressive to witness. Dozens of cranes swing atop the city’s skyline. Apartments for construction workers lay atop the foundations of fallen rubble. Soon the shipping container apartments will move onto the next job site and the cycle of destroy and rebuild continues. I can’t help but think what this city will look like thirty years from now. I wonder… will I ever revisit to witness its shining glory?

Today we toured Wanxiang’s manufacturing facilities and witnessed wheel bearings being built. Wanxiang provides components for at least two dozen car companies. We also witnessed car batteries being manufactured at one of their headquarter locations. And inside the headquarter location, we learned the fact that Wanxiang plans on funding the development of an entire city. Literally a new city. Will private enterprises be the future governance? The city will house their employees and future headquarters. Employees will have no reason to venture outside Wanxiang’s city as everything will be provided by Wanxiang. Receive your paycheck from Wanxiang, buy your groceries from the store leased by Wanxiang, pay your apartment rent to Wanxiang, and then drive your car manufactured by Wanxiang back to work at Wanxiang. Is anyone else feeling unsettled?

It is officially a week until we return to the U.S.! While I have very much enjoyed my time here in Japan and China, I am excited to be coming home. I know this may sound odd, but of all the things I miss about home the most, I think I miss my autonomy (but 32 oz fountain Diet Cokes from Circle K are a very close second). For nearly two months now almost every second of every day has been planned and curated for me. I will be so happy to be back home, wake up in the morning, and think, “Today I wil do tasks A, B, and C, and if I have time, maybe things D and E!” I am also a fairly reserved and introverted person, so being back in a situation where if I so choose I can not hear or speak to anyone for an extended period of time will be the ultimate joy for me!

In other news, I have cemented the direction I would like to take my research proposal for this course in! I am very excited about this, especially since I now have about three weeks worth of numerical data on a spreadsheet in another tab as I type this. I looked forward to delving into the numbers, and have been told I can keep my Igeress air monitor through the fall semester, which opens up even more doors for me!

The wifi is being unreliable tonight, and we have a long day tomorrow visiting Wanxiang Precision Industries, so I will say goodnight and sign off before I lose internet! Hope all is well for everyone back home <3

I was able to participate much more in this super cool martial arts class than I had thought I would be able to! It wasn’t until about 90 minutes into the lesson that my deltoid was hurting too much to continue. I took karate lessons for a solid 6 years or so, so it was a neat refresher, but it was also enlightening to look at martial arts from a different culture’s perspective as well. For example, in the sparring routine we practiced, we were taught to knock the opponent off balance to gain an advantage, whereas in karate lessons, we were taught to break their arm to gain the advantage. There are certainly merits to each, and each technique should only be applied in certain situations, but it was still fun to just observe another culture’s fighting style.

Although each individual day has seemed long and busy, I’m
shocked to realize next week is our last week in China! Where has the time
gone? Our busy schedules have taken a toll on my energy and I find myself falling
asleep relatively early. Lately I feel time is not on my side. This program has
been amazing but there are many activities that take up much of my free time. This
past Wednesday we had a full 13 hour day planned which left very little room
for me to focus on my research. As tiresome as it is, I am grateful for the
opportunity I’ve had learning about the Chinese culture and their sustainable
energy!

Today is Friday and we toured the Hangzhou Cuisine Museum. The food all looked delicious despite the fact that the models were made of plastic. Some food items were very bizarre such as something that was labeled, “ape lips.” Still not quite sure if it was the actual lips from an ape or some sort of mistranslation. On that note, we had lunch at the museum, but our food options were relatively normal. As our scheduled day came to a close, I was able to relax and study in my room. I took a small break to pop outside and wish one of our ambassadors a happy birthday. There was a small cake fight and everyone was in good spirits. I have a very long and exciting weekend planned so I should probably head to bed. I’ll update soon, goodnight!

On Tuesday I ventured with 4 other students to a massage parlor. While looking online we sifted through many places of suspect and while the name “Love Story” seemed worrisome, we discovered that it was about as nice as they come this side of Hangzhou. As we journeyed through the city we discovered that our cab driver was uninterested in taking cash. After a thorough argument and many WeChat translates, he reluctantly took our crisp 30 RMB.

As we emerged from the elevator, of a very nice hotel, we entered a serene room. I realized that my gross, water logged Birkenstocks were inappropriate for the occasion. I followed the only other woman in the group to the locker room where an elderly woman was waiting for us. She motioned for us to strip off our clothes and to enter a shower. Post rinse we laid on tables to be exfoliated by even older women. Their gloved hands scrubbed our skin until it glowed red like the outside of a pomegranate. We were then left to make our way through a dark maze to the massage room.

Realizing that were lost, or stupid, a kind bartender found us and led us to the room in which we belonged. After a quick *knock*knock*knock* the door was pushed open to reveal 3 white asses and 3 Chinese women working diligently on our male companions. After finding our tables, us women folk sat down to enjoy snacks set for us. The watermelon grazed my lips and reminded me of my thirst. As I raised the mug to my mouth I realized that the contents inside were not tea but hot oil, luckily it only grazed my upper lip.

During the massage I recognized that the masseuse was using heavy pressure but I did not understand the extent. As I peered over at my friends I noticed that their masseuses were literally straddling them as they worked into their shoulders. That fate was mine next. I groaned as she pinched and pushed into my deep muscles. Nearing the end, hot stones were brought and raked into my skin like dull knives. Flipping over to reveal my stomach, she began to push on my abdomen. I had to use every muscle in my lower half to prevent peeing all over the table. And for only 350RMB this experience can be yours too.

On Wednesday I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose… The makings of a cold, but I figured I could power through it. Boy, was I wrong! I woke up Thursday morning, (yesterday), with a pain in my throat I had not felt since having strep as a six year old child and a head so congested my teeth hurt! I had to skip out on the martial arts lessons yesterday afternoon, which made me sad, but after taking a 4.5 hour nap and then getting a full night of sleep last night I am feeling so much better today! Just a plugged nose and a bit of a cough is all that is left!

I am glad that I decided to rest up yesterday because this morning we visited the Hangzhou Cuisine Museum! It was much cooler than I expected, even if most of the displays were just plastic foods. The foods looked so real I wanted to eat them… especially all of the many delicious looking plastic roast ducks I encountered. The museum is in a beautiful wetland type area, and though it was raining I still got to enjoy watching some baby ducks swim around (ironic, I know…), and see all of the beautiful plants in and around the water. We got to actually eat lunch at the museum, which was incredible! My favorite food so far is this sort of pork belly sandwich you make by splitting a steamed bun in half and stuffing it with pork. I need to learn how to prepare pork belly Chinese style so I can make it in the U.S.!

I am hoping my head cold is on its way out, as the weekend is approaching, and it is our last weekend here in Hangzhou before we head to Shanghai later next week! Much love from China, I hope no one back home is sick!

I always take the opportunity when given the moment to act like a kid again. Yesterday was the most enjoyable day I have had so far in China because I was given the opportunity to run around like a feral child. I got to expel some pent-up energy! Our group learned martial arts from a Wushu master. Our teacher had actually majored in Wushu martial arts at Zhejiang University and has won many martial arts championships allover China. Passing this woman on the street, one would not know of her strength. I was maybe a foot taller than her and she was tossing me around like a ragdoll. And for some reason, she kept choosing me as the practice dummy. Needless to say, I am quite sore the morning after.

I learned how to apprehend people, defensive strategies against attacks, and meditative Tai Chi. Punching, chopping, and kicking the target pad were my most favorite activities by far. I love to hit things; I love the sound it makes when I make contact. I talked with another student from UIC about my love for hitting things and being loud. He brought up a good point that releasing pent-up energy through hitting and punching is good for people, as long as you aren’t hitting another person! He mentioned wrecking-ball operators having the best job satisfaction ratings because they constantly get to release energy via demolishing buildings – I believe it! When I worked as a carpenter, I loved to destroy things and make a racket. The physical activity in carpentry must have released some feel-good chemicals into my brain. I miss trying to hammer a nail in two swings! I miss sledging stakes into the ground! I miss it all!

After the Wushu lesson, the master actually complimented my form
and punches. She asked if I had practiced any martial arts before and I
replied, “No, but I did spend most of my childhood fending myself from my two
older brothers.”

So 2 days after my neck was X-rayed, I revisited the hospital, expecting to get an MRI and consult an orthopedic surgeon. While walking into the hospital, the first thing I noticed was the sheer number of people. Compared to Sunday’s crowd, I would say there were about 50 times as many people there on Tuesday. Every check-in machine (roughly 100 total) was occupied, with a line of about 5 people long, each desk had a line of 10+ people, escalators were packed, seating areas were packed, and standing areas were packed. However, aside from check-in, the massive number of people didn’t seem to have any significant effect on the wait time I experienced. After I was checked in, it only took about an hour or so to get everything I needed and get out of the hospital.

Speaking of what I needed, turns out the specialist we consulted didn’t think I needed an MRI (great, but if American doctors want one, I’d definitely prefer a cheap MRI in China, where I’ve already reached my insurance deductible. Not to mention the raw cost of an MRI would be thousands cheaper than it is in the United States.). The Chinese doctor, after zooming in and out on the X-ray for a solid 30-45 seconds, said that my neck bones are probably straightened like that simply because I belong to a generation that looks down at phone and computer screens aa lot. He gave me a prescription for some muscle relaxants and some heat pads (which are way too hot, and I’m certain they would cause burns within 3 hours) for me to wear throughout the night. He also told me to get a neck brace, which has been helpful so far — it certainly makes traveling easier, and it prevents me from moving the wrong way and inflicting some intense pain on myself.

For anyone curious, my total hospital bill for my 2nd visit was 678.6 RMB ($97-$113), 668.6 of which was the neck brace and medicines (basically a free consultation).

Our hotel is notorious for serving multiple potato dishes
during lunch and dinner. It is both a blessing and a burden. Here is a list
that ranks them from best to worst:

Potato Wedges

Triangular Hashbrowns

Happy Face Potato Cakes

Potato Balls (like deep-fried balls of mashed potato)

Roasted Potatoes (served with a Chinese style gravy and beef)

French Fries

Chinese Potato Cakes

Mashed Potatoes

Potato chip flavors in China are quite interesting. Lay’s brand has the most unique flavors. They include Italian Meat Sauce flavoring, Mexican Chicken Tomato flavoring, Lime flavoring, and Texas Grilled BBQ flavoring. All of Lay’s flavorings are delicious, definitely try them when visiting China. Pringle brand flavors include Cumber and Tomato. Both of these Pringle flavors are not that good, stick to original Pringles. Random Chinese brand chip flavors that I have tried include Steak and American flavoring. The Steak flavored chips were surprisingly good and tasted savory. The American flavoring was simply salt (I anticipated a BBQ flavor). One observation I have made about all Chinese chips is that they are all smaller in diameter than the chips back in the United States. I am wondering whether Chinese chips use a smaller variety of potato as compared to the United States’ Russet Burbank potato? Having studied the political ecology of Russet Burbank potatoes in the United States, I am now curious as to what kind of potato is most widely used here in China and who is growing these potatoes. Who, what, where, & how?

I used to play tennis back in highschool, and since then I’ve always loved racket sports of all kinds. In particular, I’ve had a lot of fun playing ping pong with friends back home. Since ping pong is very popular in China, I figured I would get an opportunity to play the sport while staying here. I met a really good Chinese player whose English name is Brady. I tried every trick I could think of, but I was completely unable to beat him! His English is very good and we agreed to practice together when we had some free time. I had never formally learned things like how to properly hold the paddle and how the best players use footwork and spin to help return and control the ball. Brady is very kind and was happy to teach me these things, basically becoming my own personal ping pong coach! I still have not been able to beat him, but I can tell that I am improving. Through ping pong, I have made several cool Chinese friends and picked up a new hobby as well!

Yesterday evening we visited the nearby Zhejiang University of Technology to meet some of the students. Much like our ambassadors here at Wanxiang Polytechnic, they were very nice and welcoming. We got to speak with them about what university life is like in China.

They do play sports, although it is not as much of a large event as it is the U.S., and the concept of drinking alcohol at school events is foreign to them. Here in China though, students have opportunities to study abroad just like American students (the Chinese students I spoke with seemed to like/want to travel to the U.K. and Australia the most), and they also do volunteer work such as going to impoverished areas and tutoring children with limited access to education. Similar to U.S. colleges, universities here also have work-study opportunities, although I believe that college is (relatively) cheaper in China, so most Chinese students prefer to focus more on their studies than work part-time jobs for spending money.

This morning we had a seminar on solar power! I learned some new things, particularly about the differences between light-thermal conversion (converting solar energy into thermal energy) and photoelectric conversion (converting solar energy into electrical energy, the one I think that we all know and love the most!). Another interesting new solar technology that I learned about was “concentrator photovoltaics”, which uses mirrors to concentrate a bunch of light into one spot for maximum efficiency. I really thought that one was cool; so simple but still new-ish technology!

Yesterday we visited the Xin’anjiang Hydropower station and it was absolutely amazing to see. The unit was very large and is located on the Xin’an River in Jiande city. I was disappointed when we were told that we would not be able to view the large reservoir located on the other side of the unit, due to the elevators being out of commission. However, we were able to take a walk inside the plant to view the lengthy row of large generators that powered the unit. I think it would’ve been excited to see it all in action, but unfortunately that was not on the agenda. Prior to our visit to the dam, we toured around the Shen’ao Village which was of course, beautiful. The small alleyways we walked through gave me European vibes, even though I’ve never traveled to Europe and am basing my comparison from pictures and films (haha). By this, I am referring to the narrow walkways, in between the ancient, residential buildings, that vehicles also traveled through. We dodged quite a few cars and motorcyclists on our path. We were able to view some areas of the underground water system and the town was rather quiet. It was a nice change of pace from the more populated areas of China. This ancient village had a more peaceful tone to it.

I also happened to notice many street dogs and even chickens
lounging around the Shen’ao Village. Stray dogs have been a common occurrence
for me throughout my trip in China. They
are all adorable and most look well cared for, whereas some have seen better
days. The dogs seem friendly enough but I’m careful not to get too close, even
though I crave to pet their cute little bodies. This makes me miss my furry
little cats back at home.

I never thought that on my 27th year on Earth I would be celebrating my birthday in China yet, here I am. It was an interesting birthday celebration to say the least. I was invited out by a new friend of mine to go to this high end Chinese club, the night before my actual birthday. It was definitely a way cooler experience than any other American clubs I’ve been to in the past. The day of my actual birthday was spent with other students on campus, touring the Xixi wetlands and eating Japanese food at a nearby restaurant. Later that afternoon a group of us went to a Chinese BBQ joint and I was more than satisfied with the food. It was definitely a nice change of pace from the constant fried chicken nuggets and potatoes served at our hotel buffet. I will say, the food here really makes me miss the food we were given in Japan, as well as the American food from home. I often find myself thinking of Taco Bell and corndogs…

After our dinner we arrived back at our hotel where I was surprised with a birthday cake from a local bakery that a few students put together for me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Their kindness and thoughtfulness is something I will forever cherish. Aling, one of our Chinese student ambassadors presented me with a gift for my birthday and it was extremely thoughtful and sweet. She gave me a musical, merry-go-round rocking horse trinket along with some soap and candy, all wrapped in a beautiful pink gift box. She told me that it represents that I am young at heart and it literally made me tear up with joy. She also printed a picture of the two of us and I will never forget this beautiful, one of a kind gift.

Although I received many birthday wishes and surprises from my peers, I do miss my loved ones back home. My parents, sisters, and boyfriend are in my top list of people I miss the most. I can’t wait to return home to see them even though I know I will miss my time here, dearly. I feel I’ve made many new friends and I intend on keeping in contact with everyone, as they have made my time here most enjoyable.

P.S. My birthday is July 7th and my Chinese zodiac sign is the monkey! 🙂

I am really bad at writing these blogs. I never know what is relevant or what people want to read or what people might think is a bad idea to write, or what I say is stupid. I will try to stop caring so much though and write more but it is very hard for me; I am generally shy and do not like to share my thoughts publicly much.

I will say that so far the Chinese language classes are very rough for me to follow at times. Maybe I am just bad at languages? I like knowing what each individual word means and the teacher teaches phrases/sentences instead of words so I am really struggling. For instance when I was learning a new language in an American high school, one of the very first concepts that I can remember being taught were the “5 question words”…. I still don’t quite understand how to phrase a question appropriately in Chinese.

In other news though, we have had some lectures on interesting topics! My favorite so far has been one on China’s efforts in renewable energy. They seem to very much prefer hydroelectric to other forms of renewables like solar, wind, or nuclear. I find this interesting in that by comparison to other forms hydroelectric seems to have some of the largest land impacts/negative ecological impacts. We have also had a lecture on coal, which was interesting in its own way… Suffice it to say the vibe I got from that lecture was that while China indeed invests in renewables, they still seem to prefer coal as the main energy source. I could very well be wrong though with language barriers and all!

So far we have had two rather disappointing visits. One to a natural gas plant, and the other to a hydroelectric dam. Neither were functioning at the time… In fact both facilities were “back ups” which run when current energy production is not meeting the grid’s needs. This only reaffirms my belief that China is still dead set on using coal as their main energy source for the time being. At the dam we didn’t even get to see the reservoir because the elevators were broken! That’s ok though because it is just happenstance, but still disappointing; two large cities are underwater up there and I wanted to see it!

I hope I am writing the things that people care about/want to read! So far a few people on this trip have gotten injured/sick, so wish them well and hope that the rest of us stay (relatively) healthy!

The river leading up to the Jiande dam was a beautiful, almost mystical looking setting. Fog compactly settled atop the river but moved as if it had a current. It looked as if the river was just pure water vapor. And there were also the stupendous green mountains that sandwiched each side of the meandering waters. Some trees along the mountain slopes had leaves as large as my entire body. I was in awe of the greenery and misty mountains.

It was inspiring to visit the Jiande dam. The 100-meter-tall
concrete structure provides clean energy for thousands of people. The reservoir
also provides millions of people with clean drinking water – bottled of course.
A plastic bottling plant is located nearby. This dam has embanked a total 22
billion cubic meters of water. The dam embanked so much water that the mountains
behind the reservoir became islands! What a feat for human engineering. Human persistence
is the most powerful force on earth. Albert Einstein once said persistence can
move mountains, I say it can transform mountains into islands.

I was so animated to witness these submerged mountain
islands. I’ve waited days for this moment. The bus stops, we unload, and I’m
giddy with excitement. We’re walking towards the dam. I think I might have been
skipping, I was definitely skipping with joy. Bad news erupts. The elevators to
the top of the dam broke! Dammit. The damn dam broke. I never got to see
those thousand islands as advertised by our tour guide, but at least I got a
cool postcard showcasing what I missed out on.

Every person got to go to a different home for a full day last Saturday. I felt quite fortunate because I was put in the group heading to Bruce’s family’s house. I went with Nicole Pudlo and three Chinese student ambassadors Bruce, Alex, and Carrie. I wasn’t sure what to expect at all, so I asked each of the ambassadors about Bruce’s family. Bruce told me his mother was a librarian and his father was a manager of some kind. On the other hand, Alex and Carrie said Bruce was “very rich” and started spinning tales about him living in a “castle”.

Upon actually arriving, I confirmed my suspicions that Alex and Carrie were greatly exaggerating. Bruce’s family lives in an upper-floor apartment that is not especially large. However, what Alex and Carrie said might not have been completely off base. From what I have gathered, it takes quite a bit of wealth to own a home/apartment of even modest size in Chinese cities. Leaving the compact size aside though, the apartment was lovely. It was clear they had decorated the living room with care to display pictures, mostly of their happy family. Bruce’s father prepared a delicious meal for us consisting of various veggies, fish, pig belly, duck, and even turtle! The turtle in particular was a favorite of mine, and I was glad I got the chance to eat it for the very first time.

After the meal, Bruce took us to a series of fun activities: a zoo, a small kid’s amusement park, and a temple on a mountain. Quite unfortunately, the zoo had no pandas so I have still been unable to fulfill that goal. But it did have deer, peacocks, monkeys, and other entertaining creatures. The rides in the amusement park were all designed for people with much smaller legs than my own. Of course, I didn’t let that stop me from ramming full speed into Bruce, Alex, and some random small kids in bumper cars! The temple was a bit of a trek up a mountain, and the day was hot so it wasn’t easy. However, the difficult climb made reaching the top of the temple even more satisfying, especially thanks to the pleasant breeze we could feel at the top. The top of the temple featured a breathtaking view over the city of Hangzhou. All in all, it was a really fun home visit that helped me get to knew Bruce and his family much better.

Taxi rides in the city are cheap and easy to find. Simply ask the front desk to call you a cab, or flag one in the street. For less than 5 American dollars one can travel across town or to the local Korean BBQ place for a birthday dinner of a colleague. It was in this pursuit that three of our heroes embarked on a journey they would not forget.

The last taxi to arrive was driven by a middle aged woman, the first taxi driver I have encountered that was not a man. As we entered the vehicle she was having a heated conversation with our concierge, I assumed that they were clarifying the location in which we had hoped to journey. The car was a small Honda and we noticed immediately that shock absorption was not a comfort afforded to us on this trip. As we left the parking lot of the hotel a small speed bump set off a chain reaction… a loud crack was heard an immediately ignored as our driver peeled out of the driveway and entered traffic.

The two of us in the back seat observed an odd sound as the taxi continued to drive. As the sound grew worrisome the driver pulled the emergency brake and stopped dead in the fast lane. As traffic passed on the right, she left the car to investigate a bumper that had obviously been repaired on more than one occasion. Fashioned with only rusty screws, the bumper held on by the grace of god. One of the adventurers suggested that we rip the bumper off as a sacrifice to the traffic Gods and abandon it in a bush. However, our fearless driver surmised that she could fix this bumper. While scavenging for tools she lifted the trunk to reveal a very large tank of gasoline that sits behind the rear passengers, a horrifying surprise. Armed with only a lanyard and an old phone charger she fashioned the bumper back to the vehicle. A police officer watched the ordeal with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, seemingly unconcerned. As she motioned us to get back in the car we finally sat down and proceeded to crawl at a nauseatingly slow place to the restaurant where our friends anticipated our arrival. As we sat in the vehicle a fellow (who is to remain anonymous) exclaimed, ” I just realized that I am going to sh*t my pants!”

So yesterday during the exercise dance class with my homestay family, part of the warm-up involved “stretching our necks” (why do we even need to do that!?) in which we tilted our heads back and kind of rolled them around to our shoulders, then looking down, other shoulder, and back again. During that stretch, my neck audibly cracked/clicked/popped 2 times, and I’m guessing that is what started the following chain of events.

At the end of the homestay, I noticed what I thought was just a sore muscle or a kink in my neck, which was preventing me from looking left without pain. I thought nothing of it — I just finished a long workout, so things were bound to hurt. For dinner yesterday, we went to Pizza Hut (the only significant difference from American Pizza Huts was the fact that pizza was served in the bowl it was cooked in), and I noticed I could turn my head less than I could at the end of the homestay — okay, nothing to freak out about. Sometimes things get worse before they get better. I was wrong.

Fast forward to bedtime. I can’t remember what time I started really feeling it, and I do not remember the time I went to bed. However, I do know that I spent at least 2 hours trying to find a sleeping position that didn’t hurt. Every time I changed my sleeping position, searing pain on my back, just below where my right shoulder meets my neck. The only time I felt something that painful was when I had the Shingles Virus, although last night’s pain wasn’t quite as bad as Shingles. After 1 or 2 hours of failed attempts at sleeping, it was roughly 1:30AM and I decided it was time to talk to some of the chaperones. I spent the next half hour or so attempting to get out of bed with minimal pain. EVERY MOVEMENT induced pain that was like 8 or 9/10 on the pain-o-meter. So after I got out of bed, I didn’t dare to attempt putting on a shirt, so I donned a robe and shorts and went to knock on Dr. Ruez’s door to no avail — no surprise, who wouldn’t be asleep at 2:00AM? Well that question was answered when I went downstairs and saw another student. After asking for the emergency phone numbers for chaperones (and establishing the fact that he didn’t have those numbers), he decided some “ancient Chinese breathing techniques” (basically sitting yoga) would solve the problem. So after humoring him for about 15 minutes, I went to the front desk and called Dr. Ruez’s room phone (thanks for the idea, Maggie!). After talking with him, we decided a trip to the hospital in the morning (today) was the best option, and we returned to our rooms. The next 5 hours were uneventful — I learned how to get in and out of bed with minimal pain :D.

Today we [me, Dr. Ruez, Nancy (the one in charge of us), and Yuchia (another chaperone)] went to one of the best hospitals in the area, which was really cool. Their triage is front and center, in front of everyone, but it was extremely time-efficient — they were taking the vitals and admitting so many people, it was kinda cool to watch. Also, we were billed after each step, so we knew exactly how much each thing cost. Blood pressure, temperature, and pulse taken? Bill. Diagnosis? Bill. X-ray (more details later.)? Bill. Medicine? Bill. We knew what we were paying for each step, and after each step they updated my medical information that was stored online, and accessible through a card they gave me. So I was diagnosed, Nancy and Yuchia were doing a fantastic job translating, and I got an X-ray of my neck, which showed my neck bones forming a straight line, rather than a curve. So tomorrow or Tuesday, I’m going to the orthopedic surgeon for an MRI, and what I assume will be a consultation about the possibility of a surgery. Overall, an exciting day filled with new experiences, and everything went relatively smoothly thanks to Dr. Ruez and Nancy and Yuchia. Honestly I’m just glad to know what’s wrong, rather than just being told that I’m worried about nothing and, “It’s just a sore muscle and will go away in a few days.”

However, I would definitely recommend avoiding being admitted to a hospital in a foreign country if you’re able to avoid it. I’ll update you on the MRI after I get it done!

Mesmerizing candy cane swirls of red, white, and blue twirl within Hangzhou’s market alleyways. Like a moth allured to a lamp, I looked for the nearest spinning barbershop pole this morning. My hair had begun to look moppy. I grew dissatisfied by my moppiness and wanted a fresh cut. Perhaps a stylish one. Maybe K-Pop-esque… So I searched and found a barbershop owned by a nice looking young couple. They definitely looked K-Pop-esque. Very fashionable. Once inside the barbershop, I realized I had no data on my phone, nor did I have a picture of what I exactly wanted. Ni you zhaopian ma? The styles they advertised were way too colorful for me! Ni gei wo zhongguo ren jiantoufa ma? I asked, “Can I have the most popular Chinese man’s haircut?” Dui, dui, dui. And just like that, my head is being scrubbed under a sink by the barber’s wife – a first for me. I am then escorted to a stool after my quick little shower and the husband quickly points out my receding hairline. Xie Xie… The haircut begins. I would bargain that my hair was maybe 4-5 inches in length before my haircut. The first snip of hair was definitely a 4-incher. All of a sudden my bangs are gone. Wode tian a… What did I get myself into? Their toddler then begins to laugh at my banglessness. Not just a simple ha ha. The boy was rolling on the ground, pointing and laughing at my profound banglessness. Eventually the small boy began to wheeze as he couldn’t catch his breath in between each laugh. I could not help but laugh, too! I looked more Amish-esque than I did K-Pop-esque! Buzzzz, snip, snip, snip. The haircut was finished. My ears were lowered. My Neanderthal forehead in its full glory. I paid the man 30 RMB (4 American Dollars) and went on my merry way.

With my pocket full of change, I decided to buy a jianbing (scallion pancake) along my way back to the hotel. As I was munching away on my delicious pancake, I couldn’t help but notice that my new haircut did in fact look like many of the other Chinese peoples’ hair styles. However, it was not young Chinese men rocking my haircut… It was the elderly!

Today, we spent the entire day with Chinese families! A few students and (sometimes) a student ambassador/translator were designated one family to spend the day with. I got to spend the day with Chris (student ambassador) and Maggie (UIC student), and the family consisted of grandma, mom and dad, son and daughter, and cousin. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed at first because everyone was paired up with at least one other student or student ambassador. With this design, the students would naturally gravitate towards each other or towards the student ambassador, rather than towards the family. Furthermore, we only got one day with the family, which resulted in a lot of cool activities, but I feel like a full-weekend homestay could have made a more significant impact on our understandings of the culture.

Regardless, I had a great time. My host family took us to do calligraphy (specifically drawing the characters for “dragon” and “hundred”). After that, we went home for lunch, and after some arts and crafts, we went to a fitness dance class. The building housing this class is pretty cool. It’s an entire building dedicated to piano lessons (imagine 2 floors consisting of about 60 pianos, with 2 rooms of 10 pianos each, and all other pianos getting a dedicated sound-proofed room), with a single room designated for dance. The dance class was a really fun workout, but it was cool just to see the building and several really young piano players.

Today marks the half-way point for my time in China, and by the end of today, I will have spent a total of 4 consecutive weeks outside of the United States (I also participated in the Japan trip). Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit homesick, so for your entertainment, and my solace, I have compiled a list of the things I miss (thanks for the idea, Lee).

First, I miss people and pets — friends, family, animals, etc. I can’t wait to spend some time with people once I return.

Second, I miss the small freedoms I had — no curfew, no website restrictions, the ability to hop in my car and drive where ever I want, and the simple fact that I wouldn’t have to adhere to a strict schedule 5-6 days a week. Having free time is a luxury I din’t expect to miss.

Third, I miss my clothes — I only brought 8 sets of clothes, and I am tired of these shirts and shorts. I never thought I would miss having a bit of variety in my clothing selection.

Fourth, I miss my bed and pillow– back home, I have this amazing pillow, and the comfort of a familiar bed would be great.

Fifth, honestly I miss Illinois — mostly just the relatively clean air xD

The 4th reminded me of how much I am truly missing home. Being away from Illinois, and even America, is not new for me. Yet I still miss my culture in profound ways. While the world is much smaller than it once was, I am becoming more aware of how truly far I am away from everything I know. The cultural exchange is enlightening, I would not trade this time for the world, however something about passing the fourth abroad is difficult. Last night we played a fun game of pong and sang the national anthem at the top of our lungs, still I miss celebrating with millions of Americans what we have to be proud of. I miss the fireworks and ice cold Stags. I miss children dancing around with fire sticks we call sparklers. Most of all, I miss being surrounded by the people that I love and hold dear. I am thankful, however, that our Chinese friends came to celebrate with us. We even hung up a flag.

The Wanxiang hotel
pampers our study group with three meals a day. Buffet, all you can eat. Some
days I feel as though I am pig getting prepped for slaughter. The food is delicious
and stuffing. Some might say we are eating better than past royalty. Three different
meats, numerous fruits and vegetables, and a vast amount of desserts. I can
feel my waistband getting tighter. I have yet to find China’s version of Pepto-Bismol.

The field trips
we take are definitely my favorite part of the Wanxiang program. Today we are
visiting two museums around Hangzhou’s West Lake, yesterday we visited a natural
gas power plant. I am most excited to visit the hydroelectric dam next Monday. I
am sure I will have much to write about after visiting the Jiande Hydroelectric
plant. Stay posted for more stories to come!

Happy Fourth of
July to those back home. And remember, be safe and knowledgeable about lighting
off fireworks. Not just for your safety, but also for our animal friends that
inhabit the skies! Did I mention I also miss birds? I miss my thrushes,
tanagers, and waxwings!

It is no doubt
that coal energy has benefitted human society with innovative technology
throughout the recent centuries. There has been an obvious price to pay,
however, as civilizations continued to use more and more coal-burning factories
for their necessities. The natural environment has become an expense as a
result of coal-burned energy. Ecosystem services decline as urban development
increases. And development depends upon a vast amount of different resources,
the most important resource being fuel.

Mark Twain once
said, “And what is a man without energy? Nothing – nothing at all.” Coal
is a precious finite resource; it’s a geological gift from the earth. I
certainly would not have published this blog on the internet if it were not for
human civilization’s ability to harness energy from these rocks of carbon and
start a technological revolution. Mark Twain also said, “Too much of
anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” While I agree
with this quote in its entirety, please emit its second clause for what I am
about to conclude. Too much coal is without a doubt cruel for the environment
and human health. Water becomes poisoned, air becomes polluted, and biological
health becomes endangered. Burning coal releases CO2 into the air which
contributes to global warming. Coal also emits a medley of other chemicals and
particulate matter that can gravely affect the health of humans and many
different ecosystem services.

Today in class,
we weighed the pros and cons of renewable energies. Solar, wind, and
hydroelectrical power can create negative environmental impacts like that of
coal-burning power plants. Hydroelectrical plants release methane into the air
as river beds alter and water becomes reservoired. The rare earth materials
that make up solar panels are haphazardly mined and go through a very tedious
process to become photovoltaic cells. Wind power takes hectares of space to
become as efficient as fossil fuel burning plants. Our class’s conclusion was
that ecological change is a given when attempting to harness renewable energy,
however, the impacts are not as dastardly as fossil fuel energy.

One of the
Chinese professors told our class that China will continue to use coal as an
energy source simply because China is a very poor country. Meanwhile another
professor told us that ~20 nuclear power plants are being built in China… I do
not think money is a problem for the country of China. The largest
hydroelectrical dam in the world was also constructed in China this past decade
– the Three Gorges Dam. Despite mass environmental degradation and the
relocation of 2 million people, the Chinese government was adamant about
finishing the Three Gorges Dam project. I simply cannot believe that China is
too poor of a country; it is a bad excuse for the continuation of coal-burned
energy.

The classes immediately following breakfast and immediately following lunch are always the most difficult. Not because of the content, but because of the food coma that begs me to close my eyes and go to sleep. I always find myself struggling to stay awake for the last hour of those classes, even when the lecture topic is interesting. Today we had a lecture on hydroelectric power in China, closely followed by a discussion session led by Dr. Ruez. I’ve noticed that all the lectures have been exactly that — lectures. The lectures involve little to no participation from the audience, and it wasn’t until today that I realized how much I miss being involved in classroom discussions. Needless to say, I am always excited for the discussion sessions between the U of I schools. Aside from the fun subjects we discuss, simply moving away from the lecture format is appreciated.

In about 30 minutes, we’ll be going on a study visit involving natural gas — I don’t know what it’ll be like, but I’m thankful to get out of the classroom!

Recently, me and 2 other students have been set on improving our pig pong games. We’ve been playing several times a week, and last night we took an additional step. We took a cab to a mall to buy really nice and new ping pong paddles, as well as nice ping pong balls. After we walked back to campus, we started playing with 3 other students (Chinese and American), and we just played nonstop singles until 2300. By the end, we were all dripping in sweat, but also we were all grinning because we were seeing how much we are improving, and we all enjoy the new equipment.

If one were to guess the most popular beer in the world, they would probably guess something brewed by Anheuser-Busch. Maybe Budweiser? Nope, think internationally. Okay, perhaps Heineken? It’s not that either. The most popular beer in the world is not even a beer that is exported to that many countries. It’s domestic to China! The Chinese beer, Snow, is the most popular beer in the world by volume drank. Taking into account the massive and thirsty population of China, it is no surprise that a domestic Chinese beer leads the world by volumes drank per year. To those curious of what Snow taste like… reminiscent of bud light. And did I mention it is extremely cheap? Snow brand beer is around 74 cents per 500 milliliters (16.9 oz). Step aside Natural Light and frat boys prepare yourselves for the new guy in town.

Immediately upon arriving at Hangzhou, I felt at home. Nancy and the Chinese student ambassadors were warm and welcoming. They prepared a fun and exciting opening ceremony for us, including touching introductions from the ambassadors. Several introductory seminars were prepared for us to provide information on China’s history, so we could have a bit of cultural context to help us understand this country and its people better. These included famous Chinese thinkers such as Confucius, Laozi, and Sunzi. Our Chinese teacher told us that because China is a very old and culturally rich country, the philosophies of these thinkers who lived so long ago still runs through the blood of the Chinese people.

Language seminars are my personal favorite, since they are both fun and immediately useful. I must say though, that Chinese is by far the hardest foreign language I have ever tried to learn! Between 4 different tones to distinguish and the lack of cognates, it is very difficult to find my footing in this language. For excursions, the ones that stick out the most are the Xixi Wetlands museum and West Lake. Both are signature attractions of Hangzhou, and West Lake in particular was a must-see for its lovely landscape that could have come straight out of a painting. I am excited for upcoming lectures on the environmental plans and developments of China, and expect to learn a lot from them. I am loving my stay in Hangzhou, and only expect to have more glowing praise for this program as it continues!

I really enjoyed our workshop classes but I can definitely
say, it was a bit challenging. For our Paper Cutting Art class, we had two pieces
of red paper to cut our shapes. The first one was fairly easy for me, it was
the Chinese symbol for happiness. For the second paper, we were to cut two fish
attached to each other. Of course, mine did not end up conjoined. I still had
fun though! The dough sculpture was very fun, we all made roosters!

When I woke up this morning I felt more tired than usual. After taking my morning air quality readings, I was surprised to see that the Carbon Monoxide in our room was at 16ppm. It should never be above zero and it made me very concerned. Of course after I saw the number I instantly started assuming something was wrong with me. After lunch I took another reading and it had lowered to 5ppm. That still isn’t great but at least it was getting better. I’m now even more interested to see what the future recordings will be…

We had our second Chinese language class today. I am finding
the grammar structure of Chinese to make much more sense than the grammar
structure of Japanese. We also learned how to sing two songs, one of which is
very catchy, and I still have it stuck in my head even though I can’t really
understand all of it! The more I learn about pinyin and its pronunciation, the
easier the tonal parts of speaking Chinese become! (The number system is also a
lot more logical than Japanese, and I am grateful for that!)

Later in the day we learned how to do traditional Chinese paper cutting, which is a type of traditional folk art that is still quite popular. I am very bad at it. In fact, I am bad at anything involving scissors… We did learn about the different paper cuttings and their meanings though. My favorite was definitely the “twin fish”, which is a cutting of two fish together, each with one eye, so that they must stay together to see. I believe this particular design is popular at wedding ceremonies. My attempt, however, turned out looking like “twin pineapples”!

We also got to try our hands at “dough sculpture”, another Chinese mode of folk art. It is exactly what it says on the tin! Sculpture using dough! (The dough we used was very reminiscent of playdough.) We all made beautiful, neon roosters, and I really love mine! If anyone has any ideas for a name for a three inch tall technicolor playdough roosters, please let me know! He is currently nameless!

And just now some friends brought in some “candy” for my roommate and I to try. I am not sure if it was even candy, but upon translating the packaging with a phone application we all learned the “candies” are meant to be boiled for three minutes before eating…

I have successfully survived my first week in Hangzhou and
everyday has been jam packed with activities and educational courses. Sometimes
I find it hard to self-study or post a blog because I feel exhausted from the
long days here. As a recap, last week we toured the beautiful campus of
Hangzhou Wanxiang Polytechnic and later that night, we were presented with a
wonderful dinner and ceremony. The student ambassadors of Wanxiang Polytechnic
put on quite the show for us and I was overjoyed to see how excited they were
to have us here. The rest of our week consisted of attending classes to learn
about culture and history of China, as well as the language.

The other day we traveled to the Xixi wetlands which is
right across from the hotel we are staying in. We only had the opportunity to
tour the museum but on Saturday, a couple UIS students and I ventured out to
explore the wetlands for ourselves. There were many beautiful flowers and
diverse patches of grass and trees. We noticed a terrifying looking spider, which
we later discovered to be a crab (it was squished so we did not have a clear
view). I will try and upload some pictures from this adventure if possible!

As I write this, I am preparing for our next workshop
courses which consist of Paper Cutting Art and Dough Sculpture. I have to get
to class but I will be back later with an update!

The best part of any travel experience is the people you meet along the way. While places, infrastructure, and natural features are amazing, the people are even more so. It is from all of my traveling experience, but especially this one, that I have realized how truly similar we all are. Tonight a game of Bad Mitton demonstrated that games cross cultural boundaries and no one had to speak in order for us to all understand the activity.

A simple smile is a way to show people in the States that we recognize their existence. Here, however, a smile is often met with a greeting and demonstration of one’s English level. For our new friend Mumu, however, a smile is an indication of a joke or prank. Often stopping to bark at any dog he sees, or attempting to hold a stranger’s baby, a smile for Mumu means an adventure will soon begin. Never afraid to give a new foreign friend a lift, Mumu is quick to offer a go around on his scooter, he is even quick to offer up his keys. He told me that if I can ride a bicycle I can drive a scooter, and hell, for only 2000 RMB a pop, I might have to get one.

I am now finally settled in at Hangzhou, but I want to retroactively comment on the blur of activities we have had in the past couple weeks.

The end of our Japan trip consisted of a day trip to Nikko, spending time at night with some local friends, and one night in Tokyo. Although I had been to Nikko on my last visit to Japan last year, there were some new experiences added in, as well as a different group of people, which made it feel brand new. For new experiences, we drove and hiked up to the top of a nearby mountain and later went out on a boat. I got a bit carsick on the bus ride up and down, but once we were there it was beautiful. The boat ride was similarly blissful. We became friends with several locals while we were on the program. One of them named Abdul (originally Saudia Arabian, has lived in Japan for 6 years) invited us over to his house one night. Some of us went there along with Seishirou and Mitsuaki, two of our Japanese friends. We got to experience a young Japanese person’s household, although Seishirou and Mitsu assured us this was far bigger than usual. By the end of the night, we had grown a lot closer to each other. Before we knew it, the Sayonara Party had passed and we were waving goodbye to our hosts at Ashikaga and heading to Tokyo. Unfortunately, we only had the one night to explore this exciting city. We ended up going out to a lovely little alley filled with bright lights and izakaya restaurants. The place was packed, but we managed to find one with open space. We had some drinks and I ate chicken gizzard (!) which tastes as unusual as it sounds. Honestly, it was all pretty good though. I do wish I could have spent more time in Tokyo, but we had a wonderful time all the same.

The flight from Tokyo to Beijing trip was (thankfully) much shorter than our flight to Japan had been. The time change was only one hour this time. Upon arrival, we met the students from UIUC and UIC and took a bus to our Beijing hotel. The hotel was in a very good location to serve as home base for our forays out to Beijing’s many landmarks. The big highlights for me were Tienanmen Square, The Great Wall, and the Summer Palace. Tienanmen Square was massive and thus seemed empty even though a pretty large amount of people were present. The section of the Great Wall that we visited had so, so many stairs to climb to reach the top. Add in that we were climbing it on possibly the hottest day of the year (over 100 degrees F) and the trek was extremely arduous. Still, I doubted I would get another chance to climb the Great Wall anytime soon, so I resolved to ignore my screaming legs and go all the way up. The Summer Palace was simply beautiful. The architecture of the “marble boat” was exquisite, and lily pad ponds and long galleys added to the lovely atmosphere.

On Saturday, me and 2 other UIS students walked to the Xixi Wetlands and explored it by ourselves. It was a decision I don’t regret! Once we walked there, we just started down and followed random paths, and as it got closer to lunch time, we were getting concerned about missing lunch due to the length of the walk. But we needed to venture deeper into the wetlands — so I pressed onward. To our amazement, we eventually emerged from the wetlands a mere 5 minutes from the hotel. We had unintentionally walked from one of the main entrances to a small, unmarked entrance/exit that is significantly closer to the hotel. It was hilarious, and knowing the new exit, we actually had a spare hour or two, so we went back in to enjoy it some more before lunch.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful until dinner, where I was invited to a student ambassador’s dorm room to play League of Legends (a 5v5 MOBA video game in which you have to push 3 lanes to get to the enemy’s base and destroy it). I was a bit surprised by the dorm rooms — when you walk into the dorm room, there’s a bathroom and shower on the left, and a closet on the right. Immediately past the bathroom and closet are 4 bunkbeds (2 per side) with desks/cubbies/shelves beneath and mosquito-netted beds on top. Past all the beds at the end of the room is a balcony for them to air-dry their clothes. As for the video game, the student ambassador, Bruce, is ranked as a Challenger, which is the best you can be before you are a professional League of Legends player. So of course, I had to watch him play a game, and he let me play a few also xD

As for today (Sunday), I spent the morning walking through rain (45 minutes one way) to get the mall to buy a new pair of shoes (R.I.P. my shoes from like 3 years ago). But the new shoes are just as colorful and vibrant as my others, albeit the size is a bit wonky. They don’t really sell adult athletic shoes that vary by width – they just seem to vary by length. So my old shoes are wrecked (laces torn, thoroughly soaked, holes on sides and the bottoms, etc.), but the new ones are neat!

I played some basketball in my new kicks shortly after lunch, and I’m playing some more after dinner. The student ambassadors are pretty good!

Definition: A popular mode of dress worn by Chinese men. A shirt’s bottom hem is risen above the individual’s stomach to reveal cooling fresh air upon their sweaty gut.

Market Alleyways

Old men wearing Beijing bikinis
huddle in packs to smoke cigarettes in some of Hangzhou’s many market alleyways.
Ladies cheerfully play card games; you often hear them before you see them in
these alleyways. Young kids scoot past you on scooters and stray dogs scavenge the
streets for morsels of food to eat. Barbershops, restaurants, produce stands,
and more barbershops clutter the alleyways. How many barbershops are there
in Hangzhou? I found myself trekking through many of these alleyways the
other day. The experience was unforgettable, but so was the smell. The stench
of raw meat was in the air… so I followed it. I witnessed foods I had never seen
before. Aquariums of exotic fish and turtle. Meat lay unrefrigerated in the
open air; only an oscillating fan was used to deter the pests away from the raw
meat. I had so many questions after visiting my first meat market in Hangzhou: does
any of the meat end up being refrigerated at the end of the day and is it safe
to eat?

After a long inquisitive hike throughout Hangzhou’s market alleyways, I found myself seated in a Uyghur restaurant. Uyghur people reside in the far northwestern reaches of China and are of Turkish descent. Uyghur-Chinese food is not the type of Chinese food one thinks of back in the United States. The food is halal and has middle-eastern flairs to it. I absolutely loved it. I ordered a fried flatbread stuffed with steak and cilantro. The sandwich bread reminded me of Taco Bell’s chalupa shells. Yes… I said it… Uyghur food reminded me of Taco Bell! The hunger was real, though, so I also order a pickled beef noodle soup. DEAR LORD WAS IT GOOD. I loaded the food with lajiao, otherwise known as Chinese pepper paste, and I was in hog heaven. The spice, heat, and humidity eventually got to me that day and I must confess… I partook in wearing the Beijing bikini. What a satisfying experience and all that food for only 20 RMB.

After a week full of tours of Beijing, welcome parties at Wanxiang Polytechnic, and the first of our seminars, we finally had our first free day yesterday! (And our second free day today!)

Saturday started with our first discussion meeting, where we talked about two articles we had read. One on environmental history in China, and the other about environmental health in China and the progress (or… not progress?) being made to improve air and water quality.

After our meeting, Nicole Morris, Caleb Froidcoeur, and I decided to explore Xixi National Wetland Park. We had visited the park’s museum the day prior, but wanted to walk around the wetland itself. The Wetland Park is in fact right across the street from our hotel! Only about a five minute walk or so to get onto the trails!

The park has lots of ponds, creeks, and just general swampy areas. At one point on our walk, I saw one of my favorite birds, an egret! They are just the most beautiful, graceful birds I think I have ever seen, (besides flamingos of course)! We also came across a crab that had been stepped on, but it was still very… eerie looking… And of course we stumbled upon a pond with the most beautiful flowers, which I assume to have been lotus, growing. The Xixi wetlands is one of my new favorite places and I feel so privileged to be living so close to them for the next few weeks.

As far as cuisine goes, a few nights ago some of the student ambassadors from the university were kind enough to take us out to have hot pot. I tried all sorts of different foods, my favorite being the beef strips, shrimp balls, and lotus root. I also tried duck blood, which was very tasty, especially when cooked in the spicy “side” of the hot pot. I made my hot pot sauce with a bunch of garlic, red peppers, green onions, oyster sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce. Overall, it was an incredible meal, and one that I don’t think you could get in the States unless you perhaps visited a China Town in a large city.

Currently I am in my hotel room with the windows open and it is raining… so very relaxing… Maybe I will take a nap? <3

Today is my first free day in Hangzhou, and although it started pretty boring — just eating and doing laundry — I’m planning to rent a bicycle and explore the city after we have our homework discussion.

In other news, after talking with some people, I came to the realization that although all 3 U of I campuses are part of the same system, there are certainly some stereotypes and preconceived notions about the students from each of the campuses. For instance, since there was a rigorous application process for UIC and UIUC, some people seem to think the students from UIS are not as smart and/or prestigious as the students from the other campuses. But if we’re being honest, those ideas existed long before this trip, considering how UIS is more affordable and it is not a really competitive school to get in to. I’m just surprised that even though we are all attending this trip together, and we are constantly interacting with each other, these thoughts and ideas remain prevalent in a small number of people.

Laundry’s done! Have a good day, and I’ll hit you up with another blog tomorrow!

So we got to Hangzhou just a few days ago, and I must say that I’m pretty impressed by the living situation, the campus, the food, and the people here. Within just the past few days, I’ve made several friends with the “student ambassadors” here, and they all seem incredibly interested in us and America as a whole, which is honestly more than I had expected.

Aside from the students, I’ve already began indulging in various kinda of food — most of which are delicious. Just last night, we ate at a restaurant that uses hot pots embedded in the tables to cook the food. So they would serve us raw food, and then we would cook and season the food right there. Since we were served raw food, and we are college kids, of course someone would joke about daring me to eat a meatball raw; and being the wise college kid that I am, of course I had to oblige. I turned a profit of 10 RMB from the whole ordeal — not sick yet! 😀

The United States is young, as we all know. So while standing on the Great Wall of China I contemplated the life of the person who stood in the same spot hundreds of years ago. Staring out from The Wall I can see the ivory gate where Genghis Kan entered China with his soldiers. Knowing that a man so powerful once stood where I now stand is humbling.

The Wall was built as protection against forgein invaders, posing an even more formidable opponent than the neighboring mountains. Many have tried to conquer the wall, but few ever did. Even the Huns who invaded and dominated China could not overcome the obstacle. Instead they were let into the nation. This demonstrated to me the role that loyalty has in protecting a nation. Without soldiers or citizens that are invested in their country, the nation is weak.

In the city there does not seem to be many bars nor clubs. However, the town is littered with small children playing late into the night. Some of them will even permit you a small test ride of their skateboard, our friend Lee can attest. The ability to have a beer on the street at 10pm was almost as fun as watching the 5 year olds play on their toy scooters, not quite old enough for metal ones yet.

The people on the street were selling things ranging from clothes to fruit, sometimes in the same small store front. Elton John and Queen rings through the passage as I press play on the only downloaded music I have. Some how Fat Bottom Girls makes a Wild Goose Chase for a Bar all the merrier. Tired and worn out from our futile quest, us adventurers traveled home; now we are ready to strike out again tomorrow with the same cause. Perhaps we should wear the lucky color red.

The transitional separation of Chinese
agriculture seems quite blatant. Millet in the north, rice in the south. During
my southerly travel from Beijing to Hangzhou, I scanned the landscapes outside
my train window. Vast open lands were dedicated to agriculture – somewhat similar
to the United States. Much of the land in northern China is dedicated towards cultivating
millet and wheat. There was a certain separating feature, however, when wheat
fields transitioned solely into rice paddies – a large river. I am not sure
whether this river is blatantly used as a separation line for all agriculture
or just some strange observation. Perhaps this river provides better irrigation
for rice paddies in the south rather than the north.

Instead of John Deere combines or International pickup trucks hauling grain, I noticed that grains were hauled by scooter and wagon in China. What a stark difference compared to the United States. Some fields had dozens of laborers kneeling down, fidgetily working in the fields. I can only assume they were picking weeds by hand. Some laborers had umbrellas, beach towels, and tea kettles stationed in the center of their fields. Nothing like a warm cup of tea on an extremely hot, humid day…

During my travel from Beijing to Hangzhou, I believe I witnessed China’s afforestation program in practice. I saw hundreds if not thousands of newly planted trees everywhere – in the mountains and in the agricultural fields. Long rows of trees have been planted, yet I cannot help but notice that most are the same species and planted no more than five feet away from each other. I was expecting a bit more diversity. My first thought when witnessing this large monoculture of trees was Dutch Elm Disease!

Last night was my first night in Hangzhou after traveling by train from Beijing. My WiFi reception was not my friend when I was staying in Beijing so this is officially my first blog post! Our train ride lasted about 5 hours, traveling at 302km/m which converts to 187 miles per hour! The ride was a lot smoother than I expected it to be. Once we arrived at the station we were welcomed by the students from the Wanxiang Fellows Program. Everyone was very friendly and escorted us to the KFC in the station. The hotel is beautiful with a good mixture of inside and outdoor environments. I noticed right away that I could breathe a bit better here than in Beijing. The rain last night was so peaceful and put me right to sleep. I am excited for what the rest of the day has in store for us!

Beijing was incredible! We visited palaces, temples, and the Great Wall. The city was crazy busy, traffic laws seemed optional (actually, most rules seemed optional), but it was still a great experience to have. One night we ate Peking duck, which was delicious! (And one of my new favorite dishes!)

Yesterday, we took the bullet train from Beijing to Hangzhou, my first bullet train ride, which was roughly five hours at approximately 305 km/hr!

Now, in Hangzhou, we’re in the process of settling in. Luckily the wifi seems significantly more reliable, so more frequent posts to come! Air quality readings should be easier to take more frequently as well with our new accomodations, which is perfect!

As I am writing this we are about to begin our first official day with the Wanxiang Fellows Program, the ambassadors of which gave us an incredibly warm welcome last night, with welcome signs for the U of I system at our hotel included! Thank you all for being patient with my sporadic updates as I have been getting used to figuring out internet! Much love from Hangzhou, China!

NPR is not censored by China’s firewall! I am still able to enjoy WUIS’s broadcast of Bluegrass Breakdown. Yee-yaw!

Speaking of impenetrable walls, I also hiked up a small portion of the Great Wall. And it was such a beauty of a day. Clear skies, fresh air, and a cool mountain breeze. Sadly, I did not get an air quality reading atop the mountain fortress, however, Doctor Ruez and I did obtain one at the foot of the wall. The Great Wall is a spectacular edifice. Our guide told us it spans from North Korea to Azerbaijan – thousands of kilometers in length. It is a marvel that ancient civilizations were capable of accomplishing such tasks. I can’t help but wonder about the lives of the people that built this monumental wall.

Stairs. Lots and lots of stairs today. We went to the Great Wall of China, and we learned a bunch about the history, but my favorite part was climbing to the top. On the way, I made a friend and we climbed the last 100 or so steps together. Today we also drove past the Olympics buildings from years ago, and admittedly, I was a little disappointed that our tour guide was super excited about them. From what I’ve read, hosting the Olympics is a great honor and such, but it can really hurt a city. For instance, Beijing pumped tons of money into a few buildings that aren’t used for much anymore, it also drastically changes the local economy, and anyone living in the area is forced to live through a nightmare of tourists, traffic, price gouging, and general frustrations leading up to, during, and even a few days after the Olympics.

We also learned about Dragon Lady, who was honestly a pretty cool woman. Essentially, she was an Emperor’s prostitute, and she bore his only son, which made her very important. Once the Emperor died, the kid was too young to understand how to rule China, so she ruled China by telling the kid what to do. The kid emperor died young, with no children, so Dragon Lady was able to choose a new Emperor who was young enough for her to continue ruling China the way she wants. She was really selfish and didn’t care about the well-being of China, but honestly, considering the way women were/are treated, it pretty cool she was able to pull it off.

Rotten eggs. That is the smell outside our hotel. The exact origin of this odor is unknown… could it be coming from the nearby garbage cans or maybe is it emitted from the thousands of car exhaust pipes? I am not sure. My air quality meters cannot detect the source of this smelly aroma, yet they can detect the amount of particulate matter in the air. Data from the first day in Beijing reveals bad air quality. Visually, there is a grey smog in the air. Physically, my eyes burn and I feel congested.

The city of Beijing is immensely huge. 22 million people I want to say? Large superblock apartment buildings scatter the city landscape. A mix of timeworn and newly-built structures configure an interesting architectural dichotomy. The streets are filled with people and cars, some not obeying the traffic laws. It almost seems lawless, yet police officers are situated on every block. I am sometimes reminded of the fictional settings in Judge Dredd or Bladerunner as I pass some of Beijing’s cityscapes. It is achingly mesmerizing. Has science fiction come to life?

Tian’anmen Square is maybe twice as large as my hometown if not bigger. And then there is the Forbidden Palace, an entirely separate area which is just as enormous. I was in awe of the beauty and splendor yet ached from the opaque blanket of grey smog in the air. I talked with a woman who studied in Beijing in the 90’s and she said the air quality was almost darkening in those days. It seems to her that China is making much progress in regard to enhancing air quality, however, I believe much is still needed to improve upon. I am confident of future improvement.

Last night, our flight arrived in Beijing. So far, China is pretty cool – we begin tours and whatnot around 0730 today, so I don’t have much to talk about yet. The airport was massive – they use shuttle trains to transport people in a way similar to Disney World. However, I must note that the outside air here is close to what I expected. During an 8-minute walk to get food, my eyes had begun to burn (I had to remove my contact lenses), the air tasted like a vehicle emissions pipe (at least, what I imagine a vehicle emissions pipe would taste like), and my throat had issues as well.

Today, we toured Beijing, and to be honest, I’m pretty surprised by how highly the residents seem to view China, particularly Beijing. Our tour guide last night was talking about how “safe” it is, even for women to be walking around at night. Today, our other tour guide said, “In June, Beijing is safest in whole world,” which also threw me for quite a loop. I guess when people like the Chinese don’t have access to uncensored information, weird opinions can be formed. That’s it from me tonight. See you later!

Tokyo has lights! And narrow alleys with flaming winds of soy and teriyaki just recirculating the stale air between restaurants less than a meter apart and rarely seating more than ~10 people. Fortunately, you can sometimes get to an upstairs room where there is also no AC and a cover charge. OK, this photo is before that dark time in that … “restaurant”?

I almost chuckled to hear Mr. Sasaki talk about the public backlash regarding the construction of the Takatsudo Dam. The valley had to be restructured, and aquatic life both in the reservoir and downstream changed. Well, although hydroelectric plants produce large amounts of energy, create reservoirs for municipal water use and recreation, and are (generally) low maintenance, there is inevitable environmental damage from multiple perspectives. Some of that research has just come out in the past few weeks – so I’ll leave that to the Blue Lions to discover.

Takatsudo valley downstream from dam. This is the Watarase River, which flows through Ashikaga, directly in front of our hotel. Until a couple hundred years ago it emptied eventually into Tokyo Bay.

A couple
days ago I visited Ashikaga University’s Wind & Solar Park. This park showcases
an assortment of different technologies that capture renewable energy. There
are many different types of wind turbines built to capture wind energy – some
turbine propellers built to only spin at high wind speeds and others built to
spin at low wind speeds. The propeller’s axis, shape, size, and weight all
influence the efficiency and output of energy. I asked an Ashikaga graduate
student which turbine design is most efficient and he explained that the three-propeller
design is most energy efficient. This also happens to be the most common
turbine design in the United States. The three-propeller design outputs the
most kilowatts compared to low wind speed. While the three-propeller design’s
weight is not the lightest turbine to be built, it can safely harness energy
from low and high wind speeds. A concern from the lighter one propeller and two
propeller turbine designs is that it requires faster and more dangerous winds
to capture energy.

Another amazing
yet more simple technology I witnessed was the solar cooker. Using material
such as glass or metal to reflect sunlight into a concentrated area, one is
able to cook food using concentrated solar energy. Depending on cloud cover,
one could possibly cook a whole chicken in a solar oven faster than an ordinary
oven if the days were clear and sunny. These solar oven technologies are being gifted
to undeveloped areas across the globe by non-profits; areas which do not have
enough wood, coal, or gas to cook their meals. These solar ovens have
influenced me to experiment making a solar powered pizza oven when I arrive
back into the United States! I have already started some experimental drafts.

I’ve
come to realize the omnipotent power of the sun while in Ashikaga. Most
renewable energies (besides geothermal) depend upon the sun. Heat from the sun
influences temperatures in the air which cause pressure differences to swirl
from latitude to latitude. These pressure differences or Hadley cells circulate
winds that provide energy to be captured by turbines. The water cycle is also
dependent upon the sun; the evaporated water, precipitation, and melted ice all
influence streaming rivers which provide energy to be harnessed by hydroelectrical
technology. And even fossil fuels were influenced by the sun’s energy. Long
ago, plants captured solar energy and animals ate those plants. Past organic
life that relied on the sun’s energy became compacted under the earth over millennia
and have formed into fossil fuels. The sun is omnipotent, so why not attempt to
use renewable energy as our number one fuel source?

Yesterday,
I visited the town of Nikko. It was a phenomenal place. The town reminded me of
Crater Lake National Park as the town is situated beside a large lake in the
mountains. The nature and landscape of Nikko was astoundingly beautiful. I
think I could have stayed there a little bit longer… maybe a couple more days.
Please read Doctor Ruez’s blog post about Lake Chuzenji as he explained the
geology and formation of this beautiful area.

I have
spent the past couple days doing many things: visiting Tokyo, hiking in the
mountains, visiting volcanic hot springs, and even rooming with a Japanese
family for 3 nights. If anyone has any questions, I would be glad to answer
them.

Dennis and I arrived at the O’Hare airport bright and early at 2am. Having been to Japan last summer and loved it, I was incredibly excited to return, but much less excited for the two long flights ahead of us. However, I had no reason to be worried – check-in and security went fine, and before we knew it we were above cloud level on our way to Vancouver. The Vancouver airport is lovely. There were totems that appeared to be of Native tribe design and an aquarium in the central area. Seeing the wide array of nationalities, including Canadian, Chinese, and Japanese, made it really click for me that I was about to embark on an adventure in foreign lands. The second flight was much longer, about 9 hours, but there were no disturbances. Upon arrival, I was quickly reminded that the 2020 Olympics would be hosted in Japan. Of course, in that trademarked Japanese cutesy style, they proudly displayed two adorable mascots in the Narita airport. Dennis, Nicole, and I were absolutely drained when we landed, but seeing Sasaki-san, a funny and wonderful Japanese teacher I had met last year, brightened the moment. He drove us to Ashikaga. Jet-lagged as we were, the rest of the night was mostly a blur, but I remember eating pizza and learning some beginner Chinese from Sasaki-san.

Despite some restless sleep, I felt surprisingly alert Monday morning. We went to Ashikaga University where we met the other students, who had just returned from their homestays. I was happy to meet my homestay mother from last year, Ayako-san. We caught up with each other, and I learned that her son had a baby recently, making her a new grandmother! I was again struck by how lovely Ashikaga is, full of greenery and pleasant residents. In a weird way, I felt like I’d arrived at my second home! That night we had karaoke which was crazy fun, and I met a nice Japanese student our age named Seishirou. Melissa, Francesca, and I had some drinks with him down by the river near our hotel later that night. We learned that Seishirou is coming to our college in Springfield later this year, and agreed to hang out when he does.

Tuesday, we had a language class. We learned a lot of new things, but unfortunately my memory of hiragana and katakana (Japanese phonetic alphabets) was abysmal. We went to Kyudo, traditional Japanese archery, and had an absolute blast. The Kyudo masters there were very old, but had an experienced and wise aura about them. One obstacle for me was that I am left-handed, but Kyudo tradition requires everyone to shoot right-handed and with very particular form. It took a bit to get the hang of it, but in my last shot I was actually able to hit the target! I definitely just got lucky, but I’ll certainly take it. Later that night we had Mexican food, which was better than expected given how far we are from Mexico. All in all, these first three days in Japan were a wonderful start to our East Asian exploration.

P.S. This is missing pictures, I still need to figure that out. Once I do I will edit them in.

The past two weeks have certainly been a wild whirlwind of a
crash course in Japanese culture, language, and visits to a multitude of famous
sites in and around Ashikaga.

This past weekend was spent with my host family, the Tajimas. They were so very kind and giving, and graciously welcomed me into their home right away as if I was family. The very first night I spent with them they took me out for my first true Japanese sushi experience. I tried everything I could, and was NOT disappointed. (One evening with my host family I even tried horse sashimi… yes, you read that right! Horse! It was not awful, but I do not see myself trying it again. “When in Rome”, though!) They seemed to be very taken aback by how much wasabi I liked to eat! On Sunday we went to Hitachi Seaside Park, an amusement park near… you guessed it, the Pacific! I had never seen the Pacific Ocean before, so what better way to see it for the first time than in a clear, plexiglass cart on a massive Ferriss wheel? It truly put Six Flags to shame!

My last night with my host family they dressed me up in a traditional summer festival dress called “yukata”. They made me feel so beautiful, but most importantly, they allowed me to partake in a very important part of their culture, especially for females. After they dressed me, to my surprise, they wanted to take me out to dinner wearing yukata. I was so scared I would get funny looks for being an American dressed in traditional garb, but my experience was in fact the exact opposite! Strangers would come to our table, ask for pictures with me, and buy me food and drinks. I learned from my host sister that many people here very much appreciate when foreigners respectfully take part in traditions, so my fears of being gawked at or feeling uncomfortable were completely unwarranted! This, among many other of my experiences here in Japan, have shown me how truly hospitable and open the locals are to foreigners, and especially the gratitude they have for those who take an interest in learning and participating in their cultural practices.

Yesterday we visited Nikko, a city in Tochigi prefecture
which is home to the mausoleum of a great shogun. In the areas surrounding the
mausoleum there are two famous wood carvings which were some of my favorites.
One was of the three monkeys that “hear no evil, speak no evil, and see no
evil”, and the other is of small sleeping cat, which I believe is meant to act
as a kind of “guardian” to the Shinto shrine. We also took a boat tour of Lake
Chuzenji, a massive and gorgeous lake surrounded by mountains, and finally, we
got to see the connected waterfall, Kegon Falls. The waterfall was probably my favorite
site on this particular daytrip. Not only were the falls themselves
breathtaking, but so were the rock formations around them.

I have done so much these past two weeks, and will be sad to leave Japan soon, but am also anxious to arrive in China to begin air quality testing. Last night we received our equipment, which seems as if it should be easy to use! Thank you to all the new friends I have made here in Japan who may be reading this, and a HUGE thank you to my host family! Japan, you are truly incredible!

PS: Sorry for the lack of images, I am still learning how to work out the kinks with uploading! I promise pictures soon!

This high altitude lake was formed about 20,000 from the damming by a volcanic eruption. Humans started building shrines in the area about 1200 years ago. The main volcano (Mt. Nantai) is still considered active – and it was odd to look around and see so many volcanic craters surrounding us during the boat ride around the lake. I could also see the paths of recent lahars, and geomorphic contours clearly indicated locations of the next constructions to succumb to gravity.

Hi everyone! Sorry it’s been a while since my last blog post — I’m really enjoying everything we’re doing here. In this post, I’m going to talk about my home stay though, which was from Friday night to Monday morning.

First of all, my family consisted of a mom and dad and a daughter (19 years old) who is studying Spanish in Tokyo, and thus, was unable to come home while I was there. However, me and my parents still hit it off pretty well! We dealt with a language barrier most of the time, but with the help of google translate, we were able to make it work.

The first night (Friday), my parents were working, so a different family picked me up and took care of me until my parents could pick me up later that night.

Saturday, my mom had to take someone to the hospital in the morning, so my dad and I took a walk around town, eventually hiking up Mt. Fuji-san 2 (as he called it). He told me it’s just a fun name for a hill that isn’t even close to the size of Mt. Fuji. Regardless, the view over the city was great. After the hike, dad had to go work, so mom and I went to hang out with some of the other homestay families and play games. There was great food, everyone was super fun to hang out with, and we all got to know each other a bit. After hanging out with everyone, mom and I took a short walk through a nearby flower garden, which was nice.

Sunday, my mom and dad took me cherry picking in a town I can’t remember. There were a ton of trees with an assortment of 10 different types of cherries, all of which were delicious (we were able to pick them off the trees and eat them right there). Then we went to Mt. Haruna, and took some pictures at the lake before we went up to the top of the mountain to visit the shrine and enjoy a phenomenal view. After Mt. Haruna, we visited 2 more shrines on the way back. Both of them required climbing a lot of stairs, but they came with amazing views, a lot of nature, and really cool history lessons.

Monday was pretty uneventful — my family had work, so I was dropped off at another homestay family’s house, and we were taken to Ashikaga University before 9am.

OK, I got a blood blister doing this. I somehow neglected to put on the glove. At some point later it was pointed out that I was wearing it on my shoulder. Oberservational…skills…dying. But then six others in our group tried to walk off wearing their gear. I could seriously get into this art.

So I woke up on a Friday morning and apparently arrived somewhere a few days / hours / countries later. Chicago to Vancouver wasn’t a bad trip. I think I slept for about half of it. Missing my midflight cookies was disappointing; can’t they just balance them on my head so I can get them when my slumping head wakes me up. But the Vancouver airport woke me up. Clean, new, beautiful…let’s say it wasn’t O’Hare.

Narita airport was a bit unexpected. Clean, but plain. And empty. Silent. I swear I entered the restroom and when I came out the flood of humanity confined to the same steel flying tube had disappeared. For what seemed like kilometers three of us moved along the only path available. A path we hoped would lead us to a quick drive to the hotel…even we knew that was not to be. No, it was not to be.

Actually, I was anticipating a 3-hour ride from Tokyo to Ashikaga. It was only about two hours. Sweet! An extra hour of sleep. However, our kind driver wanted us to have dinner before the hotel. We three Americans all said we really weren’t hungry, but we stopped at a chain Italian restaurant. We ordered pasta, which apparently came with a salad bar and slices of pizza coming at you every couple minutes. We three Americans barely touched our pasta.

Sleep deprived, we checked in to the hotel. I couldn’t recognize numbers and couldn’t open my hotel room door. A few hours later a magnitude 4.9 earthquake started shaking my 8th floor room. Am I still jet lagged? (Well, yes.) Dehydrated? (Well, yes.) Just not all there upstairs? (Please don’t leave a comment.) It did actually take about 5 seconds before I realized it was an earthquake. Welcome to Japan. Bring on Godzilla.

The
research being performed at Ashikaga University focuses mostly on environmental
technology such as figuring out renewable energy sources, weather forecasting
technology, & radioactive-waste disposal. After talking with the many
professors yesterday, I learned that the university sometimes works in
conjunction with private businesses such as construction companies by testing concrete
quality and providing large concrete forms for bridge building components. All
the research being performed was extremely impressive and has certainly
influenced me to learn more about these environmental technologies.

As I
will be interning for the Environmental Protection Agency’s office of site
evaluation, I found much of the construction technology at Ashikaga University
fascinating and probably asked too many questions! Ashikaga’s division of
engineering attempts to ensure safe building practices and safe disposal of
hazardous wastes. And yesterday, I was extremely grateful because I received a
business card from one of the professors who is performing influential research
somewhat related to what I will be investigating at the Environmental
Protection Agency. Thank you, Dr. Tomoyoshi Nishimura, I look forward to
reading your research. While my investigations will focus on mostly ferrous
soils, I think I could learn a lot from Dr. Nishimura’s research dedicated to radioactivity
and porous stones.

A couple
other impressive works happening at Ashikaga include renewable energy storage
using hydrogen storage alloy to reduce CO2 emissions, using water as a driving
force to power machines by using the special alloy martensite, bio-fuel made
from organic waste, and lighting rod telemetry to better forecast thunderstorms
in Japan.

Martensite
is memory metal. Once exposed to a certain temperature, it reforms back into
its shape via contracting molecules. Hot water and cool air are perfect for martensite’s
molecular deformation. Cooling deforms the martensite memory wire and heating the
alloy stiffly contracts it. This martensite wire was connected to a pully mechanism
half submerged in toy car chassis and water fueled the energy for the toy car move.

Ashikaga
University also performs research on biofuel. Currently they have created pucks
of wood shavings, old newspapers, and used coffee grounds to be burnt in
furnaces. Doctor Jonathan Goldbergbelle explained to me that cornhusks in the
United States would be a great resource to be burned as biofuel. I have thought
about the possibility of coconut husks as well. I am curious whether any of my
peers have any other ideas for resources to be used as biofuel?

The walking tour of Ashikaga showed us even more of the city’s
fascinating features. First, we took a short hike up to the “boys’ shrine” and
the “girls’ shrine”, where the first week of May every year the locals take
their infants and write their names, along with “wishes” for them. I believe
the most common of these “wishes” are for good health for their children. Both
the shrines and the views from them were incredibly beautiful!

Next, we visited the Ashikaga history museum, which featured
a lot of awesome miniatures of what the city had looked like at points throughout
its history, which was probably my favorite part of the museum. I also learned
that Ashikaga’s original industry was focused around textiles, which I thought
were gorgeous!

After the museum we stopped for lunch where I had my first
true Japanese ramen experience. I was surprised to find that the ramen here is
even saltier than the instant ramen back home in the States! It was still delicious,
and I can’t wait to try more varieties while I’m here.

From lunch, we headed to the Ashikaga Textile museum, where
I got to see even more of those gorgeous fabrics I had mentioned before. It is
so impressive to know that such complex fabrics were done on looms by hand before
machines came around. The amount of time, effort, and attention to detail these
fabrics must have taken to create I truly astounding!

Finally, we went to a Buddhist temple, where we met the
priest who tends to the grounds and the adjacent cemetery. He and his wife were
incredibly welcoming, and he showed the most beautiful print of “Buddha’s death”
(which I learned is very important in Buddhism, as he then ascended to Nirvana).
He and his wife even sat down and had tea with us, where we got to meet their
cute little dog “Hime”, which is Japanese for “princess”, and she was most
certainly treated like a little princess! I could tell the priest and his wife doted
on the precious little dog. Once again, I was incredibly impressed by the
amazing graciousness and hospitality of our hosts! This aspect of Japanese
culture will never cease to amaze me!

I am not sure whether I have a case of jet lag or excitement to wake up early and relish in the atmospheric culture of Japan. I am starting to find myself waking up early and reading about the things I witnessed the previous day; I am also starting to realize that many of my questions during the guided tours revolve around Japan’s local wildlife and environmental history. Yesterday Professor Shimizu of Ashikaga University guided us to Ashikaga’s Hogen Temple & Fuji Shrine. While witnessing these beautiful sites of divinity and worship, I began talking to Professor Shimizu about nature as the many shrines we visit are found upon forested hills away from human development. He explained to me how many festivities and traditions occur during Spring time – the boy and girl temples we went to yesterday are used to celebrate the birth and health of newborn children which rightfully coincides with Spring time, a time when plants and animals flourish. The intimacy of nature and tradition in Japan is beginning to become quite apparent in most aspects of Japanese life.

As my
peers and I have been tirelessly hiking through the city of Ashikaga, we have
noticed many signs, bulletins, and maps across the city. These signs have made our
lives so much easier as they provide warnings, instructions, or directions. One
sign in particular, however, caught my eye. It had an illustration of a wild
boar on it. I asked Professor Shimizu about this sign and it uncovered a
lengthy lesson about pest management, conservation, & Japan’s declining
population.

I
learned that wild boars are becoming quite a menace around Japan. It appears as
Japanese population declines, wild boar populations increase. Many current
Japanese youth are beginning to move away from the countryside and into large
southern Japanese cities. This trend has left elderly Japanese farmers to fend
for themselves. As the youth move into the cities and elderly Japanese farmers
pass away from old age, rice paddies and other agricultural fields either
become mishandled or entirely forgotten. In response to this trend, wild boar
populations are surging as more land and food become available to wildlife. The
effect of this population upsurge has damaged the yields of remaining
agricultural fields.

In the
state of Illinois, farmers are allowed to manage feral pig populations via
hunting or trapping without the need for a permit as long as it is hunted on
their land. It appears that Japanese bureaucracy has provided a difficult time
for farmers to manage pests on their farmlands. It is a difficult and lengthy
process to obtain a gun license in Japan and a trapping permit in Japan is also
a lengthy process as one must take a semester of college work in order to
obtain one. It appears for the time being that Japan’s wild boar problem will
remain challenging. Wild boar populations are continually increasing and also
migrating into new territories. As climate change is occurring (2018), wild
boars are moving farther and farther into northern Japanese latitudes (Oda,
2018). The reproduction rate of wild boar is also concerning as they can have as
many as 5 to 8 piglets in one litter – capable of breeding twice in one year. I
can’t help but wonder how the Japanese people could resolve this problem. One idea
is that since the Japanese are prolific fisherman and have a taste for
wild-caught meat, why not open a market for wild-caught boar meat and ease the bureaucratic
process of obtaining a live trapping permit.

Not only are these wild boar populations effecting rural agricultural areas, but they are also encroaching into urban developments. There is a long list of concerns in regard to wild boar in Japan. If anyone one has questions, please comment below my blog post!

My first day in Ashikaga, Japan was incredible! I saw so many new things that I had never expected to see in my life. The day was spent mainly as a bus tour of the city, where we made multiple stops at some of the city’s hallmark locations. First, we went to Ashikaga University, which seemed at first glance quite similar to American universities! From there we went to Ashikaga Gakko, the oldest school in Japan, which had at one point suffered some fire damage but was still absolutely gorgeous, and the architecture was truly something to behold; a testament to Japan’s long legacy of the emphasis on the importance of education, knowledge, and wisdom. One of the most interesting buildings I noticed there was what was once a dormitory where students would sit and copy books by hand. Such a stark contrast to today when we can download our textbooks online in a matter of minutes!

After visiting Ashikaga Gakko, we then went to a shrine,
which consisted of walking 200 some steps to get to the top, but the view was
absolutely breathtaking! My favorite part of the day, however, was visiting the
Ashikaga Flower Park. The park is most famous for its wisteria trees, some of which
are over 100 years old, with their branches supported by massive wire frames
that create incredible canopies overhead. I saw many flowers I was not familiar
with, as well as some lizards and fish in the park’s many ponds.

The language barrier here can be tough to get through at times, but the people are so understanding and incredibly helpful, even when there are translation issues. I have traveled abroad in the past, but I have never before felt so welcomed in a country that is not my own. I am so much looking forward to what the rest of my stay here will bring me!

Floating garden at Ashikaga Flower Park: So incredibly peaceful and serene! Almost dreamlike!One of the many flowers at the flower park I mentioned I was not familiar with! These might have been my favorites, although it is so hard to pick just one!

Hi everyone! So today, we visited a few places, but I started out the day with a fellow student named Lee. We went to a shrine and honestly I was amazed and humbled by the opportunity to experience something that was so important to them.

During the tour for the day, we visited Ashikaga Gardens, which was phenomenal. We saw a few Wisteria trees, which were simply amazing. In full bloom, they become a sea or purples and pinks. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see them in full bloom, so they were just a sea of green, but it was still pretty awesome.

This is just one Wisteria tree!

That’s all I’ve got for now. If I had to recommend anything, I would say if you are ever in Ashikaga, I would highly suggest seeing the garden.

I awoke at three in the morning today. I presume because of jet lag, however, the first day in Ashikaga was nonstop hiking and at the end of the day I crashed from exhaustion around 8 o’clock at night. The day prior was spent touring the city of Ashikaga. The tour consisted of visiting Ashikaga University, the world-renowned Ashikaga Flower Park, a 19th century shrine atop a large hill that overlooks the city, & the oldest university in Japan.

Ashikaga
Gakko, the oldest university in Japan, is a national historic site for Japanese
heritage. The exact date this university was erected was lost in translation
when I asked one of our guides, but the tour pamphlet mentioned Ashikaga having
been a central hub for learning as far back as 1487. The only learning performed
in Ashikaga Gakko today, however, is done through guided tours – not via
tuition. The architecture and landscaping of Ashikaga Gakko was immediately
impressive. The building’s woodwork was intricately crafted. I noticed that the
gables, beams, and anything wooden were held together by impressive mortis and
tenon. Rather than using nails or screws to fasten the wood together, special angular
cuts and notches were used to create tight joints that held all building
materials together. Looking at Ashikaga Gakko through an environmental
construction lens, the university’s roof was quite a resourceful piece of construction.
The roof was made from reeds found along local water sources. These slick
plants provide a perfect, yet antiquated water-proof roof design. Bundles of
reeds were used to thatch the roof, and the thatching’s thickness had to have
been around 3 feet in thickness. The fast growth and abundance of reeds provide
an excellent, sustainable resource for thatching… however, all this dry plant-based
material suffers from one grave problem – its propensity to catch on fire! And
that is exactly what happened a couple hundred years ago. Today, the historic
university has been restored and carefully maintained as an important heritage site
for the Japanese people – it has been the most insightful part of my international
studies so far.

While touring these destinations, I felt a great sense of collective care and passion by the Japanese people. Ashikaga is a beautifully maintained city and extremely clean. It appears that many people living here in Ashikaga are respectful not just to each other, but also towards the environment. I cannot list the exact amount of city gardens I witnessed yesterday, but it is an impressive amount. The amount of greenery and landscaping is also impressive. While many homes do not have yards like we do in the United States, the green spaces residential people do have are full of beautifully potted plants and flowers.

Overall, yesterday was an amazingly terrific experience. My first day in Japan was excellently guided by the international department of Ashikaga University. The deputy of international studies at Ashikaga University, Mister Sasaki, really made me feel welcomed. He introduced me to some Chinese students also touring the city and gave me an opportunity to practice my Chinese speaking skills. I am so thankful to be given such an opportunity and I cannot wait for the experiences to come these next following weeks.

The cleanliness of Ashikaga is widespread. This receptacle caught my eye, it appears people remove bottle caps before disposing their trash.Fellow researcher Caleb Froidcoeur and I took an early morning walk to a shinto shrine our first morning in Ashikaga. We paid our respects to this beautiful site.

In a few days four of our UIS Wanxiang Fellows (Illinois Blue Lions) depart for Japan, where I and two other UIS students will meet them a week later. Then we travel to Beijing to meet the Illinois Red Lions (UIC) and Illinois Orange Lions (UIUC). I’m already tired…